"I’m a fast guy and I got good hands," Wilson told The Star-Ledger Sunday before practice. "So whenever I’m out in space, give me two (defenders) and 20 yards of space, nine times out of 10 I’m going to win that battle."

At Virginia Tech, he averaged nearly 10 yards a reception, but with had no more than 22 catches per season. Last year, as a rookie with the Giants, he caught four of the nine balls thrown in his direction, averaging 8.5 yards per catch.

"And I’m getting better each day," Wilson said. "So we’ll see that when I step out on the field. Actions speak louder than words."

Entering his second season, Wilson knows that he’ll need to bear more responsibility. Seventy-eight of his 125 offensive snaps last year were on designed run plays while just 47 came on passes. But this offseason, his teammates have noticed an increased focus on perfecting his routes and receiving ability.

During training camp, the screen plays look more potent. For linebackers moving over to guard him in the slot or on a route out of the backfield, it’s a taxing assignment. And with so much focus being placed on the Giants’ receivers, it seems there will be plenty of opportunities to get Wilson those ideal matchups.

"I can sit here and tell you I’m the best route runner in the world," Wilson said. "I could also tell you I’m the worst one. It doesn’t mean anything until I go out there and be effective in that area."

Wilson’s logic rubbed off on quarterback Eli Manning, who saw it the same way.

"That quickness; you figure if you can get him one-on-one with some linebackers he can catch it and make some big plays," Manning told The Star-Ledger on Sunday. "When you have a guy that’s that explosive, you want to get him the ball in the open field and let him use that speed to make some big plays."

Last year, Manning threw 50 balls to running backs for a total of 415 yards. Ahmad Bradshaw, Andre Brown and Wilson all averaged more than 7.0 yards per reception, keeping the offense multi-faceted.

Video: NY Giants David Wilson, 'we all have to prepare mentally and physically'New York Giants David Wilson, running back spoke about the depth of the position and how he feels coming into training camp after this 1st week. 'regardless who is in there we all have to prepare mentally and physically' and 'rolls will be put in place more based on we want to do'. (Video by William Perlman/The Star-Ledger)

Wilson, with a limited sample size, had roughly the same yards-per-catch average as other NFL backs Steven Jackson, Frank Gore, Stevan Ridley and Marshawn Lynch.

Manning noticed Wilson’s improvements as a receiver and labeled it more as a necessity than a bonus. Bradshaw, responsible for 23 of those catches, is now out of the picture.

The Giants offensive line could be in a period of transition and could use some relief, another bonus provided by a strong pass-catching running back. There might be a new fullback in the picture, as well.

So while Wilson’s improvements were noted, Manning wasn’t complementary. If the logic is that simple, if having Wilson catch more passes will generate a better offense, it’s something that needs to be done.

"He’s going to have to be (a bigger part of the passing game)," Manning said. "He catches the ball well, so we’re going to try to get him one-on-one and make some guys miss. Every quarterback likes to throw it short and then watch the receiver go a long way. We’ll have plenty of opportunities."